Insights into controls on hexavalent chromium in groundwater provided by environmental tracers, Sacramento Valley, California, USA
Andrew H. Manning, Christopher T. Mills, Jean M. Morrison, Lyndsay B. Ball
2015, Applied Geochemistry (62) 186-199
Environmental tracers are useful for determining groundwater age and recharge source, yet their application in studies of geogenic Cr(VI) in groundwater has been limited. Environmental tracer data from 166 wells located in the Sacramento Valley, northern California, were interpreted and compared to Cr concentrations to...
Using noble gas tracers to constrain a groundwater flow model with recharge elevations: A novel approach for mountainous terrain
Jessica M. Doyle, Tom Gleeson, Andrew H. Manning, K. Ulrich Mayer
2015, Water Resources Research (51) 8094-8113
Environmental tracers provide information on groundwater age, recharge conditions, and flow processes which can be helpful for evaluating groundwater sustainability and vulnerability. Dissolved noble gas data have proven particularly useful in mountainous terrain because they can be used to determine recharge elevation. However, tracer-derived recharge elevations have not been utilized...
Detecting sea-level hazards: Simple regression-based methods for calculating the acceleration of sea level
Kara S. Doran, Peter A. Howd, Sallenger Jr.
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1187
This report documents the development of statistical tools used to quantify the hazard presented by the response of sea-level elevation to natural or anthropogenic changes in climate and ocean circulation. A hazard is a physical process (or processes) that, when combined with vulnerability (or susceptibility to the hazard), results in...
Statistical summaries of selected Iowa streamflow data through September 2013
David A. Eash, Padraic S. O'Shea, Jared R. Weber, Kevin T. Nguyen, Nicholas L. Montgomery, Adrian J. Simonson
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1214
Statistical summaries of streamflow data collected at 184 streamgages in Iowa are presented in this report. All streamgages included for analysis have at least 10 years of continuous record collected before or through September 2013. This report is an update to two previously published reports that presented statistical summaries of...
In-situ arsenic removal during groundwater recharge through unsaturated alluvium
David O’Leary, John A. Izbicki, T.J. Kim, Clark Ajawani, Donald Suarez, Thomas Barnes, Thomas Kulp, Matthew K. Burgess, Iwen Tseng
2015, Report
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and sustainability of in-situ removal of arsenic from water infiltrated through unsaturated alluvium. BACKGROUND Arsenic is naturally present in aquifers throughout the southwestern United States and elsewhere. In January 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the Maximum...
Evaluation of a fine sediment removal tool in spring-fed and snowmelt driven streams
Adam J. Sepulveda, Megan J. Layhee, Zach Sutphin, Juddson D. Sechrist
2015, Ecological Restoration (33) 303-315
The accumulation of fine-grained sediments impairs the structure and function of streams, so removing fine sediments may be required to achieve restoration objectives. There has been little work on methods of removing excess sediment or on the efficacy of the methods. We used a 4-year before-after-control-impact design in southeastern Idaho...
Applied groundwater modeling, 2nd Edition
Mary P. Anderson, William W. Woessner, Randall J. Hunt
2015, Book
This second edition is extensively revised throughout with expanded discussion of modeling fundamentals and coverage of advances in model calibration and uncertainty analysis that are revolutionizing the science of groundwater modeling. The text is intended for undergraduate and graduate level courses in applied groundwater modeling and as a comprehensive reference...
Breeding ecology of Wandering Tattlers Tringa incana: a study from south-central Alaska
Robert E. Gill Jr., Pavel S. Tomkovich, Maksim N. Dementyev
2015, Wader Study Group Bulletin (122) 99-114
Montane-nesting shorebirds are arguably the least studied of the Charadriiformes, owing in part to the remoteness of their breeding areas, low nesting densities, and specialized behaviors. We studied a marked population of the Wandering Tattler Tringa incana, during a three-year period (1997–1999) on nesting grounds in south-central Alaska. Two aspects...
Spatial and temporal migration of a landfill leachate plume in alluvium
Jason R. Masoner, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2015, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (226)
Leachate from unlined or leaky landfills can create groundwater contaminant plumes that last decades to centuries. Understanding the dynamics of leachate movement in space and time is essential for monitoring, planning and management, and assessment of risk to groundwater and surface-water resources. Over a 23.4-year period (1986–2010), the spatial extent...
Introduction to watershed ecosystem services: Chapter 1
Jefferson S. Hall, Robert F. Stallard, Vanessa Kirn
2015, Book chapter, Managing watersheds for ecosystem services in the steepland neotropics
Humans derive a great number of goods and services from terrestrial ecosystems (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2003, 2005). Some, like timber, fruits, bush meat, and other forest based food stuffs, are evident but others are not so obvious. Increasingly policy makers have realized the importance of forests and other ecosystems in...
Karst of the Mid-Atlantic region in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia
Daniel H. Doctor, David J. Weary, David K. Brezinski, Randall C. Orndorff, Lawrence E. Spangler
David K. Brezinski, Jeffrey Halka, Richard A. Ortt Jr., editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Tripping from the Fall Line: Field Excursions for the GSA Annual Meeting, Baltimore, 2015
The Mid-Atlantic region hosts some of the most mature karst landscapes in North America, developed in highly deformed rocks within the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge physiographic provinces. This guide describes a three-day excursion to examine karst development in various carbonate rocks by following Interstate 70 west from Baltimore across...
Hydrologic and geochemical dynamics of vadose zone recharge in a mantled karst aquifer: Results of monitoring drip waters in Mystery Cave, Minnesota
Daniel H. Doctor, E. Calvin Alexander Jr., Roy A. Jameson, Scott C. Alexander
2015, Conference Paper, National Cave and Karst Research Institute Symposium 5, Proceedings of the 14th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst
Caves provide direct access to flows through the vadose zone that recharge karst aquifers. Although many recent studies have documented the highly dynamic processes associated with vadose zone flows in karst settings, few have been conducted in mantled karst settings, such as that of southeastern Minnesota. Here we present some...
Representativeness of soil samples collected to assess mining-related contamination of flood plains in southeast Kansas
Kyle E. Juracek
2015, Conference Paper, 2015 Joint Federal Interagency Conference on Sedimentation and Hydrologic Modeling (SEDHYD 2015)
Historical lead and zinc mining in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD), located in parts of southeast Kansas, southwest Missouri, and northeast Oklahoma, has resulted in a substantial ongoing input of lead and zinc to the environment (Juracek, 2006; Juracek and Becker, 2009). In response to concern about the mining-related contamination,...
Context of ancient aqueous environments on Mars from in situ geologic mapping at Endeavour Crater
L.S. Crumpler, R. E. Arvidson, J. Bell, B. C. Clark, B. A. Cohen, W. H. Farrand, Ralf Gellert, M. Golombek, J. A. Grant, E. Guinness, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, J. R. Johnson, B. Jolliff, D. W. Ming, D. W. Mittlefehldt, T. Parker, J. W. Rice Jr., S. W. Squyres, R. Sullivan, A. S. Yen
2015, Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets (120) 538-569
Using the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, we have compiled one of the first field geologic maps on Mars while traversing the Noachian terrain along the rim of the 22 km diameter Endeavour Crater (Latitude −2°16′33″, Longitude −5°10′51″). In situ mapping of the petrographic, elemental, structural, and stratigraphic characteristics of outcrops and rocks...
Relations between soil hydraulic properties and burn severity
John A. Moody, Brian A. Ebel, Petter Nyman, Deborah A. Martin, Cathelijne R. Stoof, Randy McKinley
2015, International Journal of Wildland Fire (25) 279-293
Wildfire can affect soil hydraulic properties, often resulting in reduced infiltration. The magnitude of change in infiltration varies depending on the burn severity. Quantitative approaches to link burn severity with changes in infiltration are lacking. This study uses controlled laboratory measurements to determine relations between a remotely sensed burn severity...
GOES-derived fog and low cloud indices for coastal north and central California ecological analyses
Alicia A. Torregrosa, Cindy Combs, Jeff Peters
2015, Earth and Space Science (3) 46-67
Fog and low cloud cover (FLCC) changes the water, energy, and nutrient flux of coastal ecosystems. Easy-to-use FLCC data are needed to quantify the impacts of FLC on ecosystem dynamics during hot, dry Mediterranean climate summers. FLCC indices were generated from 26,000 hourly night and day FLCC maps derived from...
Evaluation of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload transport
Molly S. Wood, Ryan L. Fosness, Gregory Pachman, Mark Lorang, Diego Tonolla
2015, Conference Paper
The use of multiple-frequency, active acoustics through deployment of acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) shows potential for estimating bedload in selected grain size categories. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the University of Montana (UM), evaluated the use of multiple-frequency, active and passive acoustics as surrogates for bedload...
Evaluation of methods for assessing physiological biomarkers of stress in freshwater mussels
Andrea K. Fritts, James T. Peterson, Peter D. Hazelton, Robert B. Bringolf
2015, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (72) 1450-1459
Freshwater mussel populations are highly susceptible to environmental alterations because of their diminished numbers and primarily sessile behaviors; nonlethal biomonitoring programs are needed to evaluate the health of populations prior to mass mortality events. Our objectives were to determine (i) which biochemical parameters in freshwater mussel hemolymph could be consistently...
A predictive model to inform adaptive management of double-crested cormorants and fisheries in Michigan
Iyob Tsehaye, Michael L. Jones, Brian J. Irwin, David G. Fielder, James E. Breck, David R. Luukkonen
2015, Natural Resource Modeling (28) 348-376
The proliferation of double-crested cormorants (DCCOs; Phalacrocorax auritus) in North America has raised concerns over their potential negative impacts on game, cultured and forage fishes, island and terrestrial resources, and other colonial water birds, leading to increased public demands to reduce their abundance. By combining fish surplus production and bird functional...
An evaluation of the relations between flow regime components, stream characteristics, species traits and meta-demographic rates of warmwater stream fishes: Implications for aquatic resource management
James T. Peterson, C.P. Shea
2015, River Research and Applications (31) 1227-1241
Fishery biologists are increasingly recognizing the importance of considering the dynamic nature of streams when developing streamflow policies. Such approaches require information on how flow regimes influence the physical environment and how those factors, in turn, affect species-specific demographic rates. A more cost-effective alternative could be the use of dynamic...
The effects of flow and stream characteristics on the variation in freshwater mussel growth in a Southeast US river basin
Justin C. Dycus, Jason M. Wisniewski, James T. Peterson
2015, Freshwater Biology (60) 395-409
Summary The evaluation of the age and growth of animal populations is essential for understanding and predicting how populations will respond to changes in environmental conditions and anthropogenic stressors. We used a novel, von Bertalanffy hierarchical modelling approach to quantify relationships between the growth of three freshwater mussel...
Guidelines for evaluating performance of oyster habitat restoration
Lesley P. Baggett, Sean P. Powers, Robert D. Brumbaugh, Loren D. Coen, Bryan M. DeAngelis, Jennifer K. Greene, Boze T. Hancock, Summer M. Morlock, Brian L. Allen, Denise L. Breitburg, David Bushek, Jonathan H. Grabowski, Raymond E. Grizzle, Edwin D. Grosholz, Megan K. LaPeyre, Mark W. Luckenbach, Kay A. McGraw, Michael F. Piehler, Stephanie R. Westby, Philine S. E. zu Ermgassen
2015, Restoration Ecology (23) 737-745
Restoration of degraded ecosystems is an important societal goal, yet inadequate monitoring and the absence of clear performance metrics are common criticisms of many habitat restoration projects. Funding limitations can prevent adequate monitoring, but we suggest that the lack of accepted metrics to address the diversity of restoration objectives also...
Hydraulic modeling development and application in water resources engineering
Francisco J. Simoes
Chih Ted Yang, Lawrence K. Wang, editor(s)
2015, Book chapter, Advances in water resources engineering
The use of modeling has become widespread in water resources engineering and science to study rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal regions. For example, computer models are commonly used to forecast anthropogenic effects on the environment, and to help provide advanced mitigation measures against catastrophic events such as natural and dam-break...
Cr(VI) occurrence and geochemistry in water from public-supply wells in California
John A. Izbicki, Michael Wright, Whitney A. Seymour, R. Blaine McCleskey, Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz, Bradley K. Esser
2015, Applied Geochemistry (63) 203-217
Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in 918 wells sampled throughout California between 2004 and 2012 by the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment-Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) ranged from less than the study reporting limit of 1 microgram per liter (μg/L) to 32 μg/L. Statewide, Cr(VI) was reported in 31 percent of wells and equaled...
A semi-automated tool for reducing the creation of false closed depressions from a filled LIDAR-derived digital elevation model
John Wall, Daniel H. Doctor, Silvia Terziotti
2015, Conference Paper, National Cave and Karst Research Institute Symposium 5, Proceedings of the 14th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst
Closed depressions on the land surface can be identified by ‘filling’ a digital elevation model (DEM) and subtracting the filled model from the original DEM. However, automated methods suffer from artificial ‘dams’ where surface streams cross under bridges and through culverts. Removal of these false depressions from an elevation model...
